


An important conversation

by lewispanda



Series: Witches and warlocks verse [1]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Hanukkah, M/M, Multi, Siblings, witch Maia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-07
Updated: 2018-12-07
Packaged: 2019-09-13 12:41:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16892820
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lewispanda/pseuds/lewispanda
Summary: Simon feels nervous about inviting his girlfriend and boyfriend to spend Hanukkah with him and his family.





	An important conversation

**Author's Note:**

> This work is the first installment in a (hopefully) much bigger universe.
> 
> Witches and warlocks exist in the real world, but hide their true nature.  
> Those terms are not gender-specific. Witches are those, who were born with certain genes - they pass their magical abilities through generations. They live in small communities and practice together, drawing their energy from the nature surrounding them.  
> Warlocks, on the other hand, are those who are born to not-magical parents (or so it is believed). They have visible marks, telling them apart from ordinary humans, that they have to hide. They are much more powerful than witches, but they also drain their energy faster, and live most of their lives as recluses, due to how rare they are (and how them and the witches not always get along).
> 
> In this verse, Maia is a witch, Jace is a non-witch born to witch parents and Simon is a non-witch, with no magical parents. But he sure as heck is the most skilled one in potion-making.

Rebecca cracked the door to Simon’s room open, and peaked inside. “What is it, monkey? Having an existential crisis?”

 

“Did anyone tell you you’re not funny?” came Simon’s mumbled reply. He was lying on his stomach atop of his covers, his hoodie hiding most of his face. Only the old table lamp was on, giving barely any light, but Becca could still see a few of the Reese's peanut butter cups wrappers, scattered on the floor.

 

When they had been little kids, Simon had read somewhere, that brain feeds on sugar. So, whenever he had a serious problem to think about, he would stock up on the peanut butter cups - ‘Nuts are also good for the brain!’ - hoping that it would help him to find the best solution. His sister liked to tease him, that no amount of candy could solve a math problem for him, but Simon had always insisted that those sweets had helped him through many assignments.

 

Becca sat down next to him, and picked up one of the wrappers.

 

“Do you know they are kosher?” Simon started.

 

“No.” She replied, dropping the wrapper onto the bed. “What is it Simon?”

 

The lack of reply prompted her to continue.

“It’s Thursday night and you’re in your childhood bedroom - not with Maia and Jace. You have been practically living with them for the past two months. Mom even asked me if you were thinking about moving in with them.” 

 

She saw him opening his mouth, possibly to deny, so she raised her eyebrow to shush him. “Do not sell me any kind of bullshit about studying for your exams. There are no books in sight, Simon. So, either you have run out of clean laundry and are waiting for your underwear to magically wash itself, or something bad happened between you and them.”

 

The silence between them stretched, and Becca was about to add another snarky comment, but Simon pulled his hoodie back and the scared look on his face made her stop. She knew that fear - everything that hid behind it. It run through their veins, had been latched to their existence for thousands of years. He didn’t need to say a word for her to understand, yet she wanted to give him an option to talk about it, if he wanted.

 

“You know you can talk to me about everything, right? We’re a team, Simon. We stick together.” She placed a comforting hand on his back. “If they had done anything to hurt you, I promise, I will go after them myself.”

 

“No, it’s not that.” Simon started, but didn’t add anything. He seemed to be looking for the right words, so Becca patiently waited for him to find them. The previous off-handed remark, about the peanut butter cups being kosher, didn’t seem so off-handed anymore.

 

“You know that Hanukkah is coming?” Simon was just stating the obvious, but Rebecca let him phrase things however he wanted. She knew that him getting it out was important, so she only nodded in confirmation. 

 

But he wasn’t even looking at her, just staring at the random point on the wall. “I thought about inviting them. Like, we have been together for 6 months. And it’s the most goyim friendly of our holidays, after all, even if the fact itself is hilarious.” The last word was dripping with sarcasm - there was nothing funny about the celebration of fighting against assimilation being the most assimilated of Jewish holidays. “And I doubt they will say no, but I’m afraid...I’m afraid that they will be indifferent.” He rolled to the side and reached for his pillow, to hug it to his chest. “We don’t even talk about my Judaism. Well, maybe there were a few questions at the beginning of our relationship, and they wish me to enjoy our Friday dinners every time. But I sometimes feel as if that aspect of me doesn’t exist. And it’s unacceptable.” He mindlessly played with one corner of his pillow, tugging at it then smoothing it out. “And I’m afraid that when I ask them to come, I will learn that they really don’t care about that aspect of me. That they are indifferent, at best, and hate it, at worst. And I don’t want them to be like that.” 

 

And i don’t want to get hurt again, was left unsaid.

 

“Simon.” Rebecca crouched over him to awkwardly wrap her arms around him. “No matter what the outcome will be, I’ll always be there for you. And never, ever put their crap before your own right to be accepted. Never.” Her words sounded to her ears like overused phrases, but she could feel Simon relax, and shift his hold on the pillow to grip onto her shoulder instead.

 

“Simon Lewis! Rebecca Lewis!” Elaine voice was loud and clear, even coming from down the hallway. “How many times do I need to tell you both to not put your phones on silent! You have them, so I can reach out to you.”

 

Simon laughed weakly, which in turn put a smile on Becca’s face. She leaned back then ruffled his hair and jumped off the bed before he could get back at her. “I’ll make sure mom won’t come barging in here. But I won’t tell her anything, promise.” His grateful gaze was all the reply she needed. He still looked scared, but now there was also determination there.

 

_ ‘Good _ ’ she thought.

\--------------------------------------------

“You’re so tense. Try to relax.” Jace told Simon, as he was combing his fingers through his hair.

 

All three of them were sitting on the old couch, in the living room. Maia and Jace had bought it on Craigslist when it had become apparent that Simon would be a permanent fixture in their lives. The old couch - that qualified more as a loveseat  - was not wide enough for the two of them, let alone three.

 

Jace was sitting on one end, and Maia was occupying the opposite one, quietly reading a book. Simon was laying on top of them both, with his head on Jace’s lap, where the blond could massage his scalp, and his feet resting on the armrest, shins over Maia’s thighs. She was reading the last few pages she needed for the college class she would have tomorrow, while the boys quietly kept her company. This was one of the things Simon loved about Jace and Maia - their easy presence. They didn’t expect him to fill the silence, or the opposite - to keep quiet. No matter what they were doing, Simon always felt comfortable, and at home.

 

Almost.

 

He knew they needed to have the conversation about Hanukkah, but he also knew that he had been stalling. The celebration would start in a few days, but he still hadn’t brought up the subject, afraid of the outcome.

 

And the decoration hanging above his head wasn’t helping. It was a yule incense, made by Jace, that looked and smelled too much like Christmas, for Simon’s liking. Not that he hated Christmas. But he was tired of all the ornaments and pine trees and Santa Clauses being pushed down his throat since the beginning of November. Like, he got it. Everyone loved Christmas. Except, not everyone did, because not everyone celebrated it. All the available shelving space in the stores has been taken by Christmas decorations, and if  _ he _ wanted any Hanukkah decorations, he needed to find them on Amazon. The star hanging above his head just reminded him how no one cared about his culture.

 

“Hey, guys? I want to ask you something.” Simon started.

 

Maia put her index finger in the book, then closed it, as Jace looked down at Simon. Their attention was focused solely on him, and suddenly he felt even more nervous.

 

“So, Hanukkah is coming. And I wondered if you maybe would want to join us? You don’t have to say yes, of course!” Simon had to bit his tongue - he had almost added ‘It’s no biggie’. It was a big thing. Yes, Hanukkah was a minor holiday, but Maia and Jace joining their celebrations  _ was _ very important. Simon wanted to know they were willing to welcome that integral part of him - being Jewish.

 

The other two looked at each other in silence, and Simon’s heart sunk.

 

“I know you celebrate Winter Solstice. Is celebrating Hanukkah against your witchy practices? Oh, I mean - you may simply not want to join me. That’s okay, too.” Simon knew he was babbling, but he had to fill the silence somehow, otherwise Maia and Jace would hear his heart shattering. He couldn’t be here anymore. He needed out, to breathe, to cry, to do anything. “You know, I have this exam…”

 

“Simon.” Maia cut in gently, and Jace began to pet his head again. “We’d love to join you. We really do.” Her lips stretched into a small smile, but there was also something else there. 

 

“You actually have a great timing, man. Maybe you do have some witchy abilities.” Jace added from above him, and Simon looked up, confused.

 

“What Jace is trying to say, is.” Maia took over again. “we actually had a discussion about it yesterday. We were talking about getting ready for Winter Solstice and Yule in general, putting up decorations, and then we realised, that maybe you celebrate something around this time, too. Jace briefly remembered something about some Jewish holiday from school, so we googled it. And we have realised that we have neglected that part of you.”

 

Simon didn’t know what to say. He reached towards Maia with his left hand, and she took it and held tightly.

 

“It was a wake-up call for us. And we were too chickened out today to ask about any of it.” Jace said, clearly ashamed. “We hoped that the damage we had done wasn’t irreparable. We have screwed up big time, and being oblivious about your culture doesn’t excuse us one bit. We’re really sorry. We promise to change. Will you forgive us?”

 

Before the tension in the room could build up, Simon replied. “Of course.”

 

Maia put her book down on the floor, then threw herself at Simon, hugging him tightly. “I’m so, sooo sorry, Simon. For hurting you.”

 

He wrapped his arms around her, and held her close to his chest, while murmuring. “It’s okay. I have trust in you guys.”

 

“We will do our research.” Jace added. “Won’t rely on you to notify us whenever something important for you is happening. But, if we step out of the line, please, tell us. We don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

 

“I will.” His now free left hand reached for Jace’s. 

 

“You’re important to us, Simon. All of you.” The blonde man said.

 

“Thank you.” Maia reached out to wipe a single tear from Simon’s cheek. “You guys have no idea how much it means. That you care. And that you didn’t blame it all on me. I’m…” He was lost for words again.

 

“Come here.” Jace beckoned them to move. Maia sat back on the couch, so her weight wouldn’t be pinning Simon down and he could sit as well. Jace pecked his lips - the gentle, barely-there brush of lips, that Simon had began to associate with the blond man - before pulling Simon’s back flush against his chest. Simon moved his legs, so they were hanging off the couch at a weird angle, but therefore created enough space for Maia to squeeze between them and the back of the couch, her own legs thrown over Simon’s. She kissed him as well, more firm that Jace had done.

 

“I’m actually excited to celebrate with you.” Maia told Simon, after getting comfortable, and Jace nodded in agreement. “Hanukkah looked like a lot of fun.”

 

“It’s not as big as you guys think. Like, it’s not Jewish Christmas.” Simon replied, a smile gracing his lips. “It’s a holiday, yes, but a minor one. We celebrate winning against forced assimilation, but also the miracle of the oil that had happened. There actually is a really great animated video about Judah Maccabee and the whole fight.” Simon reached for his phone, but decided against it. The vid could wait. “Under the rule of Alexander the Great, Jewish people were free to practice their religion without repercussions. But, one of his successors, Antiochus IV had different ideas - he had begun to oppress Jewish people, prohibited the practice of our religion, put the Hellenistic priest in the Temple and desecrated it it by sacrificing pigs on the altar. And pigs are not-kosher, so it was bad.” He made a mental note to check later whether Maia and Jace were familiar with what kosher food meant, and if they knew that  _ the Temple _ meant a very specific one.

 

“Two groups fought against him. One was led by Matthias the Hasmonean and his son - Judah Maccabee. The second was led by the group known as Hasidim. They joined forces and won, so we got the Temple back. But, the oil that was needed to lit the menorah - the candelabrum in the Temple - was tainted by the Greeks, and the oil needed to burn every night, for the whole night. There was enough left for only one night, but the preparation of new oil would take eight. And a miracle had happened - the oil lasted for eight nights, enough for the new one to be prepared. So, we celebrate by lightning the candles for 8 nights and eating a lot of fried foods. Like latkes - potato pancakes - and sufganiyot, the jelly donuts.”

 

“Ohhh. tell us more.” Jace prompted.

\-----------------------------

“Welcome!’ Simon could hear Becca say downstairs. He had only gone to his room to change, but apparently it had been enough to miss Maia and Jace coming.

 

He ran downstairs in time to see his mom taking a batch of sufganiyot from Jace.

 

“Hello Mrs...Elaine.” Jace changed quickly, seeing the way Simon’s mom looked at him. She had told them to address her by her name, but Jace seemed to have hard time adjusting.

 

“We feel honoured to join you.” Maia added, hanging her coat.

 

“We are happy to have you here.” Elaine replied, as Simon eyed the donuts. 

 

“You weren’t expecting that at all.” Rebecca chimed it, eager to tease her brother. “Jace called me and asked if it would be appropriate to cook something. So I suggested he used that baking talent of his, you gloat so much about, and make us some sufganiyot. And I was his tester. You have  _ noooo _ idea what you missed out on.”

 

“Don’t worry.” Jace chimed in, while Maia kissed Simon hello. “I will make you as many as you want. In the end, we have decided to go more traditional, but I still have a few pages worth of notes of a more modern take or different fillings.”

 

“If we let him run the kitchen, we would only eat bread and pastries.” Maia told Elaine. 

 

“But he’s the best boyfriend in the world.” Jace grinned at Simon’s words, while Maia huffed with fondness. “And you are the best girlfriend.” Simon added, turning towards Maia. 

 

“Don’t let him anywhere near dreidel before dinner - he got so excited about playing, he couldn’t shut up till Midnight.” Maia warned Simon, then reached for his hand.

 

“I did no such thing.” Jace scowled at her. 

 

“Come on, guys. I need to show you something.” Simon reached for Jace’s hand, then pulled them both upstairs.

**Author's Note:**

> One more thing, to make things more clear. Jace attended middle school and highschool, while Maia had to drop out, and was home-schooled.
> 
> I have more info about this verse (mostly about the Lightwood family dynamic, since Jace is a Lightwood here, but also about Maiaand her backstory), if anyone is interested. ;)
> 
> And a huuuge thanks to my beta - yellow_craion <3


End file.
